AMMANFORD is urgent need of work to tackle its scruffy, rundown and dilapidated “gateways”.

From demolished buildings to overgrown land and rows of run-down properties, the ways in to Ammanford are being described as being unwelcoming and uninviting.

And there are fears that the unappealing edges of the town are putting off potential business from the town, especially in the wake of news that County Council are still seeking a developer for the site of the former police and court houses.

Entering the town from wither the Aman Valley, the M4 via Penybanc and from the roads in from the Towy Valley reveal several areas of concern.

Wind Street offers a boarded up, vacant piece of land where a garage once was with a similar scene on High Street, although the land there is now occupied by a hand car wash.

Entering from the College Street direction offers the view of the former police station and court, now reduced to a vacant plot, with recent talks with Weatherspoons about building on the site seemingly leading nowhere.

The Betws and Foundry Road area, which links to the relief road to the Aman Valley, is now framed with a row of vacant and dilapidated properties, including a sizable building that was recently a take-away until closing a couple of years ago.

Also of concern are several empty businesses within the town.

Resident have pointed out, through contacting the Guardian and through Facebook pages devoted to the community, that this leaves Ammanford looking neglected and the “poor relation” of towns such as Carmarthen, Llanelli and even Cross Hands, which is currently undergoing extensive re-development.

One reader told the Guardian: “These sites are not very welcoming or inviting for visitors, or potential new businesses to invest in Ammanford.

“A vast amount of money is being spent in improving the Cross Hands area, with the building of new roads, new houses, and new businesses and Ammanford is being left behind.”

Ammanford Town Councillor Jonathan Davies is also concerned.

“Recently events like the Gwyl Y Twrch Trwyth a have shown that the town has big potential and there are people who are working hard to develop and promote the town from within.”

“It’s frustrating then when you look at areas such as the former police station and the properties on Foundry Road which are run down and scruffy.

“We are the third biggest town in Carmarthenshire and yet seem to be neglected. Where is the development from the county council?

“Where is the money to develop and attract new investment? I for one would love to know what’s happening with finding developers for these sites.”

The council state that finding developers for sites such as these are firmly on their agenda but have warned that finding developers for the police and court buildings is difficult.

Cllr Meryl Gravell, Executive Board Member for Regeneration, said: “The County Council is attempting to facilitate development of a number of gateway sites leading into Ammanford.

“This is through direct intervention in purchasing and marketing of development opportunities and through discussion with owners of other private sector sites.

“The County Council has acquired the former Police Station and Court House, and Foundry Row, and has been actively working to secure a developer to move the sites forward.

“We hope to be in a position shortly to secure a preferred developer for Foundry Row however the Police Station site and Court House are proving more difficult and the county council is reviewing its position.”

Meanwhile the Council have started discussions on how the authority deals with dilapidated properties including buildings of historic interest.

The county council recently convened a joint meeting of its Community Scrutiny and Planning committees to receive a report relating to the monitoring of an Action Plan (including recommendations) from a Task and Finish Review that had been carried out in relation to Enforcement issues.

Councillors discussed how the authority seeks to deal with the dilapidated properties within its boundaries, whether this be seeking to bring dwellings back into beneficial use, or looking at how it advises owners of buildings of historic interest on how to positively manage such buildings.

Members were advised that issues of ensuring the site was secure remained the responsibility of the owner, although the authority would investigate if there were concerns that a building could be classed as dangerous as defined under the relevant Building Act.

It was noted that management of properties falling into disrepair could, potentially, fall under different legislative frameworks, Building, Planning, Housing, Heritage Acts, depending on the nature of the specific site.

It was agreed that a further update report be provided to members before the end of the year.

Planning committee Chair Cllr Alun Lenny said: “The dilapidated condition of many buildings, ranging from old churches to houses that have been vacant for many years, is a source of great concern to the council and public alike.

“Empty houses are blight and can have an adverse effect on the appearance of a street. Larger semi-derelict properties such as chapels and churches can pose a threat to public safety, but getting the private owners of such properties to take action can prove very difficult and may involve costly legal steps by the local authority.”

“On the other hand, I’m delighted to see that the council is taking a proactive approach by bringing empty houses back into use - 135 over the past year alone. Although the process can be a lengthy and costly one, turning an empty house back into a home is a win-win result. It increases the housing stock, saves on building land, creates jobs for local companies and improves the street scene.”

Task and Finish Group Chair Cllr Anthony Jones said: “I’d like to thank the Task and Finish Group members and council officers and partners for their work in looking thoroughly at the range of planning enforcement issues.

“We have made 23 recommendations to evolve our enforcement work to assist communities that feel the impact of planning issues.”